Some Differences
How many times have you seen a sentence start with “Witchcraft, or Wicca, is..”
leaving the reader with the impression that these are one and the same thing.
Such generalizations are unfair to the practitioners of both, and more than a
little confusing to those who wish to learn some form of the Craft.
Yet, in an age of electronic information, it becomes difficult to set the
boundaries that would allow one to study witchcraft or Wicca as distinct
disciplines. There are many pagan web sites that proclaim connections to Wicca,
although few are truly Wiccan. I must admit that my own web site often fails to
make a clear distinction.
Chat rooms and message boards are filled with arguments over whether this or
that act is within the perimeters of the Wiccan Rede, yet the chatters are not
Wiccan. Perhaps the argument concerns how many traditional witches are needed to
call the guardians of the Watchtowers, but the well-meaning participants are
unaware that traditional witches usually do not call the guardians. It’s
difficult to even find terms to use that haven’t already been so blended as to
obscure any divisions.
If you are a newcomer, you might ask why this is so important. When you start
out to study to be a doctor, you wouldn’t want to study only psychiatry if you
planned to become a surgeon. If your goal in life is to be a great violinist,
would you fore go violin lessons in favor of piano lessons? In the first case,
both are medicine and in the second, both are music, but you certainly wouldn’t
want a psychiatrist performing your appendectomy nor would you wish to sit
through a violin concert performed by a pianist. You need to know where you are
going in order to map out a path that will get you there. If you don’t follow
some plan, some path, but just pick up a little information here and there,
you’ll never get anywhere at all.
The following sections give some of the differences between Traditional
Witchcraft and Wicca, though certainly not all. Before beginning, let me explain
my choice of terms. The term Wicca is obvious in that its practitioners use the
term to define their religion, and as it has been recognized as a religion by
the US government for some years now, the term is widely accepted.
Traditional Witchcraft is a bit more difficult to justify. To some degree it is
a continuation of the religion practiced by early European pagans, called
witchcraft by the conquering Christians. However, as practiced today it is still
a form of neo-paganism, as is Wicca. In other words, it has been revived and
reinvented in modern times. It is traditional in the sense that it is not
derived from the work of a single founder. The term as I use it should also not
be confused with the traditional witchcraft of hereditary witches. Families of
witches may indeed practice what I call Traditional Witchcraft, but the
designation is not limited to such families.
In discussing the differences between these two religions, it should also be
remembered that they have many things in common, particularly when contrasted to
the world religions such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism. In fact, they are
far more alike than they are different. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to
explore the differences. These differences fall into several categories:
history, beliefs, ritual, and ethics.
HISTORY
Wicca
Most students of the Craft are at least vaguely aware of the historical origin
of Wicca, but have much less precise ideas about the origin of Traditional
Witchcraft. This is not particularly surprising. Wicca originated in modern
times and has the advantage of being set out in written texts and even in the
memories of living people. Traditional Witchcraft, on the other hand, is tied to
ancient cultures and myths, and to largely unverifiable ideas about practices
and beliefs.
Wicca began with the writings and teachings of Gerald Gardner in the 1930s.
Gardner was initiated into the New Forest coven in England by Dorothy
Clutterbuck. He published both fictional and non-fictional accounts of
witchcraft, the first non-fictional book, “Witchcraft Today,” appearing after
the last of the anti-witchcraft laws in England were repealed in 1954. Believing
that the Craft was dying out, he dedicated himself to reviving it. In his coven,
many things were secret, so his writings combined some things from the coven
along with elements of ceremonial magick (Kabbala), Masonic ritual, various
versions of the Craft, Celtic mythology, eastern philosophies, Egyptian
ideologies, and even fictional ideas from mystical works along the lines of
Lovecraft and Hubbert. The elements (earth, air, fire, water) which form an
important part of Wiccan ideology are from Classical Greece. Gardner was clearly
a learned man to combine diverse philosophies and religions in such a way that
it not only stopped the decline of the Craft, but led to the powerful and
influential religion that Wicca is today.
Gardner’s students had an important role to play in the evolution and spread of
Wicca. Doreen Valiente added the poetic quality to many of the rituals that have
been passed down. Others whom Gardner initiated took the new practices to
distant lands, while still others branched off forming their own traditions such
as the Alexandrian tradition begun by Alex Sanders. In America, many new
traditions appeared, among them Dianic witchcraft and the faerie traditions,
both of which are further from Gardnerianism than the direct descendants, but
still clearly influenced by Gardnerian Wicca.
Traditional Witchcraft
What we’re calling Traditional Witchcraft has an older history than Wicca in
some ways, but a much less well-defined one. Witchcraft has been around since
the beginning of mankind, long before people could write about it. Our ancestors
did leave a few clues such as goddess statues and drawings, but not much can be
learned about the nature of their beliefs and practices. Anthropologists surmise
that primitive cultures of modern times have at least a passing resemblance to
the long dead cultures of the past, and nearly all have some form of witchcraft
or magic. However, the witchcraft practiced by most neo-pagans today is clearly
of European origin, and even the most traditionally minded witches rarely try to
trace the origin of their practice back further than the Middle Ages.
We do know a few things about these times. The native peoples throughout Europe
believed in spirits or gods, usually associated with the Earth, Sun, and Moon,
and they saw their lives and the lives of the gods as having a cyclical pattern,
following the yearly cycle of seasons. The latter part is typical of native
peoples everywhere. When one lives by agriculture or hunting and gathering,
knowledge, and if possible, control of the seasonal forces of Nature are vital
to existence. Thus, the development of a religion in which the seasons are
recognized and celebrated and through which one might attempt to control the
more violent and destructive aspects of Nature is quite understandable.
Most of our knowledge of European witchcraft comes from the writings of
Christian conquerors and priests. In fact, it was the Christians who first
called the practice witchcraft. Before the invasion there was no need to give
the religion a name. It was simply what all people were brought up to believe.
Some specialized roles existed with special names, though the names reflect the
language of the region rather than a common system of belief.
Christians suppressed the native religion, in part, by adopting many of their
rituals and customs. Yule became Christmas and Oester became Easter, and all
became a part of Christian tradition. However, not all pagans abandoned their
beliefs when they “became” Christians. Many of the practices simply went
underground and were passed from generation to generation in families. Since
most people could neither read nor write, these oral traditions were the only
means of keeping the knowledge alive. Without written records, we know very
little of these ancient traditions. The records we do have are often distorted,
having been written by priests of the inquisition or taken from the inquisitions
records themselves.
That isn’t to say that we know nothing of Traditional Witchcraft. A little
knowledge trickled down and scholars often preserved the mythologies of
conquered peoples. Archaeological evidence helps a little too. The neo-pagan
revival has attempted to recapture the spirit of the ancient religion, if not
its actual practices. Be a little skeptical of those who profess to practice the
Old Ways, unless they recognize that they are reinventing those ways rather
than reviving them.
Beliefs
There are some fundamental differences in the beliefs of traditional witches and
Wiccans. It is vital that any student of the Craft understand these differences,
especially if the student is still seeking a path to follow. How can you know if
your path is to be Wiccan or that of Traditional Witchcraft if you have no
knowledge of the beliefs associated with them?
Perhaps now is a good place to comment on the eclectic witch. All too often
newcomers to the Craft grab onto that label because it seems to mean they can
believe and do whatever they want without having to adhere to any particular
belief or ritual system. That’s simply not the case. To say something is
eclectic does mean that it is composed of elements drawn from various sources.
However, there must be sources for such eclecticism in the Craft. It does not
mean that you can make up your own way of doing everything, your own way of
thinking, and still call it the Craft. It does not mean that you can incorporate
every New Age idea, regardless of how appealing it may be to the individual, and
then claim that what you do is the Craft. An eclectic witch carefully chooses a
path that has elements from different witchcraft traditions, making sure that
there are no contradictions or conflicts among the element chosen, and that each
is well understood. There are some limits. Not only can the path not be entirely
idiosyncratic, but it must be clearly pagan.
Some will argue against this, but in my opinion, it is impossible to be
simultaneously Christian and a witch without sacrificing important components of
one or the other. Conflicts between the two belief systems are immediately
apparent, and some are impossible to resolve. Witches of whatever tradition are
not monotheistic nor do they follow any revealed scripture (Torah, Gospels,
Quran, Book of Mormon, etc.). There are many other conflicting elements, but
that must be put aside for another essay.
It’s worth noting again that neither Wicca nor Traditional Witchcraft is
traditional in the sense of strictly adhering to the beliefs and practices of
our ancestors. Like it or not, this is neo-paganism, for we simply have no
choice. Most likely the religion of the original European pagans was quite
different, but we have arrived at the point where we need to look at the
traditions being practiced today rather than the “old ways,” though with some
references to the latter when possible.
The first, and I believe the most important, difference between Wicca and
Traditional Witchcraft is the relationship to Deity or deities. Wiccans worship
a Goddess and sometimes a God, regarding them as supreme beings. Traditional
Witches do not worship any entity as their superior, though they recognize the
existence of other entities. They believe in the equality of all beings in the
Universe, seeing them as different, separate, but never superior or inferior.
This difference is often a source of confusion. A traditional Witch may speak of
the god and the goddess, usually referring to the female and male aspects of
Nature, and while they revere and respect Nature, they do not worship it or its
representatives. A Wiccan may speak in similar terms but Wiccan rituals make it
clear that the Goddess and God are seen as superior beings to be worshipped.
This dualism forms the basic foundation of Wiccan theology, the necessary
feminine and masculine components of creative energy. Traditional Witchcraft,
however, is polytheistic and animistic, incorporating a number of
spirits/deities into a meaningful whole.
Let me make this a little clearer by example. When a Wiccan calls upon the
Goddess and the God in ritual, she/he means exactly that – “the” Goddess and
God, the ones who appear so prominently in the mythologies that inform this
belief and the rituals associated with it. The Goddess is a Triple Goddess and
may be called by different names in different circumstances, but most Wiccans
believe these different names and personalities are aspects of the one Goddess
rather than different entities. Traditional witches, however, may call the
Goddess and the God as representatives of the creative force of the Universe,
but will usually call on other spirits as well, each being seen as a separate
and equal entity.
In Traditional Witchcraft there is a Spirit World or Other World where these
other entities reside. Most do not see this as actually separate from this
world, but rather a part of it that is usually unseen. Thus, the spirits who are
contacted during ritual are already there but may be conjured or evoked to
facilitate communication. This is an important point in that Traditional Witches
see the interaction between this world and the Other World as constant and not
wholly dependent on ritual. Wiccans rely more on ecstatic ritual to obtain
contact with the Goddess and to increase ones spirituality.
There are some who say that traditional witchcraft is not a religion at all,
because no deities are worshipped. From a strictly anthropological standpoint,
that would be a fair statement in that religion may be defined as a system of
belief which includes the worship of a superior being or beings. However, to say
that the practice of witchcraft lacks spirituality is simply untrue, at least
among modern witches. For many witches today, it is the spiritual enlightenment
offered by the practice of witchcraft that draws them to it, even if their
approach to the deities is somewhat different than that found in other
religions, including Wicca.
Ritual
Any discussion of the gods inevitably leads to consideration of the rituals
performed in connection with them. In Wicca, rituals tend to be compulsory or at
least advised. One must celebrate the Wheel of the Year with its eight holy days
that represent parts of the mythic cycle. Traditional Witches often observe the
same days as they correspond to solstices and equinoxes, but do not relate them
to a specific mythology. In Traditional Witchcraft it is the seasonal changes
themselves that are honored, not the lives of gods and goddesses associated with
them. Both Wiccans and Traditional Witches observe Moon phases and other natural
phenomena.
The sacred circle is central to Wiccan practice. Wiccans generally create sacred
space for their rituals by casting a circle, using techniques of visualization
and raising energy. Placing more significance on ritual and ceremony, Wiccans
create and perform beautiful rituals, filled with symbolism, to mark the seasons
of the Earth and the seasons of life.
In Traditional Witchcraft, all space is sacred and all life is ceremony. When
ritual or magick is performed, the Traditional Witch is likely to go to a place
that has special qualities such as a stream or mountain, but practitioners also
recognize that the local park or someone’s backyard is equally sacred. I’m not
saying that Wiccans don’t see the Earth as sacred; they do. However, most
Wiccans still cast a circle (define sacred space) before performing a ritual.
These differences are often a matter of degree and emphasis.
It is often difficult for urban witches to gain any practical experience of the
countryside. Perhaps the absence of daily opportunities to be in direct contact
with the Nature draws so many of them to the more formal and symbolic rituals of
Wicca. The separation from natural settings may also have led to the intense
concern with environmental issues among both Wiccans and Traditional Witches.
No consideration of ritual in witchcraft would be complete without some
discussion of magick. Magick is central to Traditional Witchcraft, whereas many
Wiccans do not practice the magickal arts. However, there is a sense in which
all religions use magick, as it may be defined as any attempt to effect the
outcome of a given situation by supernatural means (though in Traditional
Witchcraft these means are seen as natural). Prayer, for example, is a form of
magick.
When practiced, the magick of Wicca tends to be more ceremonial, whereas in
Traditional Witchcraft it is more practical. Herbal healing, for example, is a
traditional practice which may or may not be part of a Wiccan’s custom. Also,
the magick of Traditional Witchcraft may include hexes and curses without a
specific rule to prevent such acts (see Ethics section).
A more important difference, however, concerns the presence or absence of
spirituality in magick. Some say that magick is never spiritual. Since there are
often spirits or deities involved, a better way to look at it might be to
consider the relationship between the witch and the spirit in performing magick.
The idea noted above in relation to defining religion is also applied to magick,
that when witches work with spirits in performing magick, it is not spiritual
unless the spirits are worshipped. Regarding spirits as a natural part of the
witch’s environment and as equal beings in the Universe would deny any
spirituality to the magick of Traditional Witchcraft. Wiccans, on the other
hand, perform magick in which a goddess or god is appealed to for aid and paid
homage to during the magickal act. By the previous definition, this would be
seen as spiritual. I’m not at all convinced that seeing spirits as natural
and enlisting their aid without worshipping them reduces the magick of
Traditional Witchcraft to something that is merely practical and without a
spiritual component.
Rites of passage are also an important part of the ritual structure of both
Wiccans and Traditional Witches. Initiatory rites of passage are central to
Wicca, at least as practiced in covens. Within each coven there is a hierarchy
among the members based on the levels or degrees each member has attained, with
the High Priest and Priestess at the pentacle. As a member goes through the
levels, she/he learns the Mysteries from someone in authority. The degrees are
determined primarily by what the witch has studied and for how long so that the
hierarchy, at least theoretically, is one of knowledge.
In Traditional Witchcraft, there are usually rites of passage of some kind,
though groups tend to be less hierarchical than Wiccan covens. In some cases,
rituals are performed at different stages of a person’s life, while in other
cases, rites may reflect the individual’s choice to dedicate herself to some
aspect of the Craft. The only thing that can be said with certainty about rites
of passage in Traditional Witchcraft is that they are variable, and are
determined more by the specific group or individual than by a conventional
structure.
Ethics
Wiccan ethics is based primarily on one rule, the Wiccan Rede (advice or creed),
“an it harm none, do as ye will.” A true follower of the Wiccan path will know
that this does not translate into “do anything you want as long as it doesn’t
hurt anyone.” A person’s “will” is the path chosen after careful reflection, not
just the whim of the day. Discovering your true will is part of the path you
take to spiritual enlightenment, tolerance of others, service to the Universe,
and ultimately a fulfilling life. The second most important feature of Wiccan
ethics is the Threefold Law, that what you do will come back to you threefold
(with three times the energy). This is a karmic principle that has it’s origin
in eastern religions and replaces the concept of sin and retribution found in
Christianity. In other words, if you harm someone (sin), you will be repaid
times three (retribution).
Traditional Witchcraft has neither the Wiccan Rede nor the Threefold Law. There
is no morality test, only personal responsibility and honor. Also, there is no
good or evil, only intent. Humans have the ability to make decisions and act on
them, and they may choose and act with good or evil intentions. Traditional
Witchcraft does not set out laws as to what actions and intentions are evil, but
followers of this path take responsibility for them. In practical terms, this
means that using curses, hexes, and the like are not ruled out on principle. If
provoked or threatened, the Traditional Witch may act for self-preservation or
the protection of family and home. These are considered honorable acts. Yet if
there are negative consequences, the Traditional Witch is willing to suffer
them.
A final word
I hope this essay will serve two purposes. For those of you studying the Craft
and trying to learn a little about the rather confusing terminology applied to
its practitioners, perhaps this will be a starting point, but only that. Don’t
take what I’ve written as gospel. Many others will have a different view of
these issues, but these few words may help you find the questions to ask. For
those of you who saw a movie last week or read a web page somewhere, I hope it
will make you think twice about calling yourself a “witch” or “Wiccan.” Without
the training, knowledge, and dedication, neither designation is appropriate.
May the ancient gods guide you in whatever path you choose.
Branwen
